Rare Plant Survey

Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow

Marquette County, Michigan

Prepared for:

Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company Marquette County, Michigan

Prepared by:

King & MacGregor Environmental, Inc. 2520 Woodmeadow SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546 www.king-macgregor.com

DRAFT DATE: April 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND ...... 1

METHODS ...... 1

RESULTS ...... 2

DISCUSSION ...... 2

REFERENCES

FIGURES

Figure 1. Overall Project Location-Land Cover Map

Figure 2. Rare Plant Location Map

TABLES

Table 1. MNFI Element Occurrence List for Marquette County

Table 2. Rare Plant Species by Habitat Type for Marquette County

APPENDIX: Photographs

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

King & MacGregor Environmental, Inc. (KME) was retained by Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company to conduct botanical assessments along various potential roadway alignments within Marquette County. Initial surveys of potential road routes were completed in 2008 and data was included within a report that was issued to Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company (KME, 2009). This report is an addendum to that original report and includes findings of the rare plant survey conducted during 2010. The potential road routes surveyed include the Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow.

METHODS

The MNFI database (MNFI 2010) contains historical records of 44 rare plant species in Marquette County (Table 1). This list of county element occurrences was last updated December 10, 2010. Six of the rare plant species within the MNFI Marquette County records are listed as endangered in Michigan, 18 are listed as threatened in Michigan, and 20 are listed as special concern in Michigan. None are federally listed.

In planning the rare plant survey, it was possible to eliminate the need to survey for 13 of the 44 plant species, because appropriate habitat was not identified for those species along the proposed alternative routes. For example, limestone bedrock or limestone-derived soil was not observed anywhere along the proposed route, so calciphiles such as wild chives (Allium schoenoprasum), green spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum), butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), English sundew (Drosera anglica), downy oatgrass (Trisetum spicatum), Northern woodsia (Woodsia alpina), cliff fern (Woodsia obtusa), and Northern oak fern (Gymnocarpium robertianum) would not be expected to occur. Similarly, species confined to Great Lakes shorelines, such as pearlwort (Sagina nodosa), scabrous black sedge (Carex atratiformis), blue wild-rye (Elymus glaucus), American dune wild-rye (Leymus mollis), and Lake Huron tansy (Tanacetum huronense), would not be expected to occur within the anticipated construction areas of the proposed alternative routes.

After eliminating the above 13 species, 31 listed plants or their habitat remained that could potentially occur along the proposed alternative routes. Five of these, small round-leaved orchis (Amerorchis rotundifolia), Northern oak fern (Gymnocarpium jessoense), small yellow pond lily (Nuphar pumila), fragile prickly-pear (Opuntia fragilis), and Western dock (Rumex occidentalis), are Michigan-listed as endangered. Thirteen of the 31 are Michigan-listed as threatened and include big-leaf sandwort (Moehringa macrophylla), lake cress (Armoracia lacustris), Northern reedgrass (Calamagrostis lacustris), fairy-slipper (Calypso bulbosa), small blue-eyed mary (Collinsia parviflora), narrow-leaved gentian (Gentiana linearis), moor rush (Juncus stygius), alternate-flower water-milfoil (Myriophyllum alterniflorum), Farwell’s water-milfoil (Myriophyllum farwellii), Canada rice-grass (Oryzopsis canadensis), pine-drops (Pterospora andromedea), bog bilberry (Vaccinium cespitosum), and New England violet (Viola novae-angliae). The remaining 13 species, climbing fumitory (Adlumia fungosa), purple clematis (Clematis occidentalis), Douglas hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii), ram’s-head lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium arietinum), laurentian fragile fern (Cystopteris laurentiana), intermediate oatgrass (Danthonia intermedia), rock whitlow-grass (Draba arabisans), male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), fragrant woodfern (Dryopteris fragrans), fir clubmoss (Huperzia selago), Northern gooseberry (Ribes oxyacanthoides), satiny willow (Salix pellita), and Clinton’s bulrush (Scirpus clintonii), are Michigan-listed as special concern.

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT

Table 2 organizes the 31 rare plant species with potential to occur by the habitats in which they would most likely be found. Some are listed in more than one habitat.

Surveys focused on areas with higher potential for rare plants. Foremost among these were streams, rock ledges and outcrops, wetlands, and disturbed open sandy sites.

Rare plant surveys for the Red Road-Sleepy Hollow and CR 550 routes occurred during July 13-15, July 20-22, and August 31-September 2, 2010 along the routes shown on Figure 1.

RESULTS

In the course of the surveys, one state-threatened plant species, the narrow-leaved gentian (Gentiana linearis), was identified on banks both upstream and downstream where the existing Red Road crosses Clark Creek (T49N, R27W, SE ¼ of Section 29). The gentians occurred as individual flowering and non-flowering stems as well as with multiple stems or in small groups. Their locations were mapped by GPS survey and are shown in Figure 2.

Two state-special concern species, Northern gooseberry (Ribes oxyacanthoides) and male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), were also identified. Northern gooseberry was found at two locations. The first location was a granite outcrop adjoining the west side of CR510 just north of the intersection with CR GGI (T50N, R27W NE ¼ of Section 18). The second location was on another granite outcrop several hundred feet northwest of the CR 510 crossing of Big Pup Creek (T50N, R27W, SE ¼ of Section 20). In this same location, the male fern was also identified (Figure 2).

Photographs of the rare plants observed during the 2010 surveys can be found in the Appendix.

DISCUSSION

Narrow-leaved gentian in Marquette County grows in a variety of habitats, both wetland and upland and was found in a number of locations along the CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow and CR 550 routes, including some locations where it occurred profusely.

The locations where the Northern gooseberry and male fern were found fit the Michigan Natural Features Inventory natural community description of a Granite Bedrock Glade (Kost et al, 2007). Other similar areas, including the east side of CR 510 just north of CR GGI, and west of Lost Creek near the CR 510 crossing, were also surveyed. However no endangered, threatened or special concern species were identified in these locations.

REFERENCES

King & MacGregor Environmental, Inc. (KME) 2009. Ecological Surveys, Proposed Woodland Road Route. Prepared for Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company.

Kost, M.A., D.A. Albert, J.G. Cohen, B.S. Slaughter, R.K. Schillo, C.R. Weber, and K.A. Chapman. 2007. Natural Communities of Michigan: Classification and Description.

Michigan Natural Features Inventory. 2010. County Element Data. Michigan State University Extension. Available online at http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/data/county.cfm

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT

Table 1. MNFI Element Occurrence List for Marquette County

County Element Data: Marquette County

Current as of 12/10/2010

Scientific Name Common Name Federal Status State Status Accipiter gentilis Northern goshawk SC Adlumia fungosa Climbing fumitory SC Allium schoenoprasum Chives T Alvar Alkaline Scrub/grassland, Upper Midwest Type Amerorchis rotundifolia Small round-leaved orchis E Armoracia lacustris Lake cress T Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum Green spleenwort SC Boloria frigga Frigga fritillary SC Calamagrostis lacustris Northern reedgrass T Calypso bulbosa Calypso or fairy-slipper T Carex atratiformis Sedge T Clematis occidentalis Purple clematis SC Collinsia parviflora Small blue-eyed Mary T Coregonus artedi Lake herring or Cisco T Coregonus hubbsi Ives lake cisco T Crataegus douglasii Douglas's hawthorn SC Cypripedium arietinum Ram's head lady's-slipper SC Cystopteris laurentiana Laurentian fragile fern SC Danthonia intermedia Wild oat grass SC Dendroica kirtlandii Kirtland's warbler LE E Dermatocarpon moulinsii Lichen Draba arabisans Rock whitlow grass SC Drosera anglica English sundew SC Dry Northern Forest Dry Woodland, Upper Midwest Type Dry-mesic Northern Forest Dryopteris filix-mas Male fern SC Dryopteris fragrans Fragrant cliff woodfern SC Elymus glaucus Blue wild-rye SC Erebia discoidalis Red-disked alpine SC Falcipennis canadensis Spruce grouse SC Falco peregrinus Peregrine falcon E Gavia immer Common loon T Gentiana linearis Narrow-leaved gentian T Glyptemys insculpta Wood turtle SC Granite Bedrock Glade Granite Bedrock Lakeshore Granite Cliff Great Blue Heron Rookery Great Blue Heron Rookery Great Lakes Marsh Gymnocarpium jessoense Northern oak fern E Gymnocarpium robertianum Limestone oak fern T

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT

Scientific Name Common Name Federal Status State Status Haliaeetus leucocephalus Bald eagle SC Hardwood-Conifer Swamp Huperzia selago Fir clubmoss SC Intermittent Wetland Infertile Pond/marsh, Great Lakes Type Juncus stygius Moor rush T Leymus mollis American dune wild-rye SC Limestone Cliff Lycaeides idas nabokovi Northern blue T Mesic Northern Forest Moehringia macrophylla Big-leaf sandwort T Myriophyllum alterniflorum Alternate-leaved water-milfoil SC Myriophyllum farwellii Farwell's water milfoil T Nicrophorus americanus American burying beetle LE X Northern Shrub Thicket Wet Scrubland, Upper Midwest Type Northern Wet Meadow Wet Meadow, Upper Midwest Type Nuphar pumila Small yellow pond lily E Opuntia fragilis Fragile prickly pear E Oryzopsis canadensis Canada rice grass T Pandion haliaetus Osprey SC Pinguicula vulgaris Butterwort SC Planorbella multivolvis Acorn ramshorn E Poor Conifer Swamp Pterospora andromedea Pine-drops T Rallus elegans King rail E Ribes oxyacanthoides Northern gooseberry SC Rich Conifer Swamp Rumex occidentalis Western dock E Sagina nodosa Pearlwort T Salix pellita Satiny willow SC Sandstone Lakeshore Cliff Scirpus clintonii Clinton's bulrush SC Tanacetum huronense Lake Huron tansy T Trisetum spicatum Downy oat-grass SC Umbilicaria torrefacta Lichen Vaccinium cespitosum Dwarf bilberry T Viola novae-angliae New England violet T Wooded Dune and Swale Complex Woodsia alpina Northern woodsia E Woodsia obtusa Blunt-lobed woodsia T

State Codes Federal Codes E – Endangered LE – Listed Endangered T-Threatened SC- Special Concern X – Presumed extirpated

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT

Table 2. Rare Plant Species by Habitat Type for Marquette County

Habitat Listed Species Draba arabisans, Dryopteris fragrans, Opuntia fragilis, Moehringa Rock ledges and outcrops (shaded or open, macrophylla, Collinsia parviflora, Ribes depending on species) oxyacanthoides, Dryopteris filix-mas, Gymnocarpium jessoense Oryzopsis canadensis, Huperzia selago, Danthonia intermedia, Collinsia Open sites with disturbed sandy or rocky parviflora, Vaccinium cespitosum, Viola soils; dry or moist novae-angliae, Clematis occidentalis, Ribes oxyacanthoides, Scirpus clintonii Amerorchis rotundifolia, Calypso Forested wetlands (coniferous or deciduous, bulbosa, Cystopteris laurentiana, depending on species) Cypripedium arietinum Ribes oxyacanthoides, Thalictrum Forested uplands (coniferous or deciduous, venulosum var. confine, Pterospora depending on species) andromedea, Cypripedium arietinum Gentiana linearis, Juncus stygius, Open wetland (wet meadow or bog, Calamagrostis lacustris, Scirpus depending on species) clintonii, Rumex occidentalis, Viola novae-angliae

Borders of woods or thickets Adlumia fungosa, Crataegus douglasii

Armoracia lacrustris, Myriophyllum Streams or ponds with permanent water alterniflorum, Myriophyllum farwelli, Nuphar pumila Salix pellita, Rumex occidentalis, Riverbanks, sandy shores Viola novae-angliae

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT

APPENDIX: Photographs of Rare Plants Observed During 2010 Surveys

Northern gooseberry in Granite Bedrock Glade, CR 510 near CR GGI

Male fern on rock outcrop near Big Pup Creek crossing of CR 510

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT

Narrow-leaved gentian near Clark Creek crossing of Red Road

Rare Plant Survey April 2011 Triple A-CR 510-Red Road-Sleepy Hollow DRAFT